Taking a placement year is a fantastic opportunity for you to gain real-world work experience and meet interesting people within your industry - but that doesn鈥檛 mean that it鈥檚 easy. There鈥檚 always support available for you here at BU. We want to make sure you know where to look and who to talk to if you need advice and guidance.
As a BU student, you have free access to the , an online mental health service available 24/7. There are self-help resources, an online community and clinically qualified 鈥榃all Guides鈥� to talk to.
Our Student Wellbeing team and are still available, even when you鈥檙e not here. Get in touch, and they鈥檒l work with you to arrange the best way to support you or help you find support in local to where you鈥檙e working.
Kerry Rolls, BU's Student Wellbeing Coordinator and Brad Powell, SUBU鈥檚 VP Welfare & Equal Opportunities and BU graduate, have some practical advice to help you make the most of your placement!
Enjoy yourself
Enjoying your placement means enjoying working with the people around you too, so chat to your line manager if you鈥檙e not connecting with an individual.
Take advantage of as many opportunities as possible!
You鈥檒l build skills to apply to your studies when you return, as well as become a valued staff member and really help contribute to the organisation 鈥� you may even be offered a job after you graduate! 聽
Strike a balance
There鈥檚 more to life than work! Scheduling time for yourself and social activities in the evenings or weekends is vital to ensuring you don鈥檛 become overwhelmed with work. This could be the beginning of your career and it鈥檚 important to learn about boundaries and looking after yourself while at work.聽
Ask for help if you鈥檙e stuck
Communicating and letting your team know if you鈥檙e unsure about a task, idea or principle will stop you worrying, help you learn... and meet deadlines!聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 聽
Set small聽goals each month
Think about what you want to achieve and learn while on placement - you can then reflect back on the year and see your development and progress.聽
Check our health and wellbeing webpages for a wide range of support information, including opening hours and contact details for a number of BU and external services.
